With the increasing fluidity among industries, it’s not unusual for executives to leave traditional publishing roles in favor of new business ventures. In this Off the Beaten Path series, we asked four former traditional publishing professionals how their publishing experience affects their roles in their current companies and what they miss about their old stomping grounds.
Valentina Rice
Founder, Many Kitchens;
former Vice President, International Sales and Marketing at Penguin
How has your publishing experience been helpful in your current job/industry?
My job in publishing was in sales and marketing both of which have served me well in setting up my new business (manykitchens.com) selling artisanal food online. The producers we promote are customers just as much as the people we sell to and my years of selling books and creating relationships with booksellers were invaluable. There are many similarities in trying to build an audience for a food producer and an author.
What can publishing learn from your current job/industry?
This is a tough one since publishing is so much more established. I suppose since my business is 100% direct to consumers, the focus is very heavily weighted on the website, and I think there is still room for improvement on consumer facing sites in the publishing world.
What do you miss about publishing?
I miss my colleagues and my customers but have kept in touch with many and have fed my need to talk about books by joining a book club.
What do you like about your current industry?
My two big passions are books and food. I spent 15 years working with books and now get to spend my days tasting the best artisanal food that America has to offer. I feel very fortunate to still work with people who are so passionate about what they do.
